Since their birth, puppies are a dinner plate for worms. It is inevitable. Parasites have been around for ages and they are not going anywhere. So, it is essential to deworm your puppy regularly.
And you know what? Puppies can be born with intestinal worms. So there’s no time. Puppies are an open platform for worms. It can ultimately hamper your’s and your kid’s health too. It is a necessity to keep your puppy healthy. The first 6 months are crucial. For deworming newborn puppies, you will need to go to a vet. But after some time you can start deworming puppies at home too.
What is deworming?
The purpose of deworming is to remove parasites.
There are 2 categories of parasites, intestinal worms, and external parasites. Intestinal worms include tapeworms, roundworms (ascarids), hookworms, and whipworms.
External parasites include fleas and ticks. De-worming means the removal of these parasites from the puppies’ bodies to prevent illness or death due to infection caused by these parasites.
How Does Your Puppy Get Worms?
Most puppies are born with worms. However, in some cases, they get infected after birth. The following are the probable causes for that:
- Drinking contaminated water
- The nursing mother has worms
- Coming in contact with infected animals
- Swallowing fleas
- Eating meat with parasites
What Are The Different Types of Worms Seen in Puppies?
There are the following seven types of common intestinal worms seen in puppies:
1. Roundworm
These worms are white and round and are almost 12 centimeters long. They look like spaghetti. The most common spread of this infection is by coming in contact with the infected poo or dirt. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, weakness, weight loss, slow growth and mucus in stool.
2. Hookworm
Hookworm is one of the most dangerous intestinal worms. It is easily transferred from mother to puppy during birth or suckling. The symptoms could be lethargy, anemia, loss of appetite and black tar-like stool.
3. Tapeworm
Tapeworm enters the puppy when it eats larvae from an infected rodent or flea. There are no obvious symptoms to this, but you can see white rice like particles in the feces. Also, the puppy will eat a lot and gain no weight.
4. Whipworm
Whipworms are found in the digestive tract and cause inflammation of the bowel. You can also see mucus in stool and diarrhea or weight loss.
5. Coccidian
Coccidian lives in the intestine of puppies, but they enter the body through raw meat. You will see that your puppy has symptoms like fever, loss of appetite, diarrhea or weight loss.
6. Heartworm
This is a complicated worm. A mosquito is a carrier of heartworm. It causes heart and lung damage, coughing, lethargy, and fatigue. Heartworms are fatal and can be diagnosed by blood test.
7. Ringworm
Ringworm is a type of fungus that lives on the skin. It is highly contagious and can also be transferred to humans. As soon as you see oval bare patches on the skin of your puppy, limit skin contact and take it to a vet immediately.
Though heartworm is the most dangerous type of worms, the other worms also can cause serious health issues to your puppies. Worms need treatment right away. Sometimes, if the worms are not treated on time, they can even result in the death of your puppy.
The importance of de-worming your dog?
Dogs that are not properly wormed will have poor immune systems, making infections easier to catch and harder to heal from. Also, the discomfort caused by a heavy worm burden can result in a loss of appetite and a general unthrifty appearance. Worm burdens are directly related to anemia, which is a major cause of death for puppies.
How to Know If Your Pup Has Worms?
When the puppy gets infected, there are some obvious symptoms that indicate the presence of an infection. The majority of the time, worms are present in dog feces and can be seen. The eggs of the parasites are present in the feces of an infected pup. Usually, they are too small to identify with naked eyes.
The two types of worms – tapeworm and roundworms can be seen easily. Tapeworms look like rice and are seen in feces, the rear portion of the puppy, or the tail. Because the parasites are present in the rear area and stick to the hair, you will see your puppy scratching its rear on the ground. These parasites irritate the puppy.
Roundworms are long and white like spaghetti. Usually, these are seen in the vomit of the dog and feces. Other worms are not visible that clearly. You will need to look for the above-given symptoms and let the vet do his/her work.
What Are the Signs of Worms in Puppies?
There are some symptoms presented by puppies that may indicate a worm infection, but worms should always be confirmed by a positive fecal test. These include:
1. Lethargic behavior and loss of appetite
occurs when there is an over-population of worms
2. Diarrhea or constipation
The frequency might increase if the puppy has roundworms. Diarrhea contains mucus, blood, and pieces of undigested food. Constipation occurs when the parasites are too large to pass through the rectum. In this case, diarrhea will also occur once their body tries to eliminate them through vomiting or loose stools.
3. Spiky hair coats
from small patches of thickened fur caused by irritation on the skin (mites), most likely from fleas.
4. Itching
from mites or fleas
5. Sensitivity to the touch
Especially near the anus and tail region.
6. Feverish symptoms
occurs when there is a heavy worm burden. An indication would be the puppy scratching, panting excessively, depression, loss of appetite, and in some cases mild diarrhea.
7. Dry coughs
With excessive mucus production for several consecutive days may indicate roundworms. A fecal check can confirm if worms are indeed present.
8. Poor growth rate
compared to other puppies of the same age due to lack of nutrients absorption caused by parasites chewing on the gut lining which causes blood loss. This results in anemia leading to pale gums or tongue and skin coloration plus poor growth rate.
Deworming Newborn Puppies
Puppies are more prone to worms because they do not have developed immunity like an adult dogs. So it is essential that you deworm the puppy at every 2, 3, 4, 6, and 12th weeks of age. After that, the puppies are given a rest and dewormed again in the 16th week.
Even if your puppy does not show any sign of infection, you should get deworming done. The health of the puppy is more important, and you have to ensure that you are giving proper care.
After 16 weeks, the puppies need to be wormed every three months throughout their life cycle. Even pregnant or nursing mothers should be treated during mating, before giving birth, and then every three months.
Two weeks is the best time to deworm
The best time to de-worm is between 2 and 6 weeks of age, at a weight of 3.5 pounds. This schedule will ensure that the puppies get all their necessary worming in the first month of life.
Remember to weigh your puppy before giving him or her medication before administering it to your dog, you should always read the instructions provided by the manufacturer for more information about using this product on your dog.
Worming schedule
The proper newborn worming schedule is at 2, 3, 4, and 6 weeks of age and every 2 weeks after that until the pups are 10 to 12 weeks old.
2 weeks: Worms that are passed from mother to baby include roundworms (ascarids) and hookworms. Some puppies are born with roundworm eggs in their systems. Hookworms and roundworms can be transferred to dogs from other animals or people. Young puppies may become infected by these worms by ingesting the worm eggs in dog feces.
3 weeks: This is a very important de-worming time frame since this is when most pups get fleas, which results in tapeworms.
4 weeks: During this period, puppies are more vulnerable to roundworms and hookworms. Pups can become infected with these worms by eating fleas or other small parasites that carry the worm eggs. Infection may also come from mother’s milk if she has been de-wormed incorrectly in her own life
6 weeks: Deworming at this time helps prevent a serious intestinal problem called coccidiosis.
Deworming Puppies at Home
The treatment is not a complicated one. You can do it at home. You don’t have to go to a vet every time. Of course, during the first 8-10 weeks, you will have to take it to a vet for vaccination. Therefore, you can get your vet to test for worms and even treat the puppy. But at other times, you can do it yourself. There is all-worms medicine available online which can be given to your puppy at regular intervals, ideally every three months.
The best time of day for the worm is in the morning so you don’t worry about missing any doses overnight since the pup will have an empty stomach at that time. A good place to give worming medicine is before feeding after you’ve already checked to see how much your puppy eats at each meal.
Many wormer medicines for puppies are available online for each type of worms. For instance, you can buy Nemex 2, Pfizer, which is a well-known brand capable of treating and controlling roundworms, and hookworms. They are to be given according to the age and weight of the puppy. And when the puppy is not infected, and you are just taking precautions, you can administer all-worms medicine.
How to give Nemex 2 to your dogs or puppies?
Conclusion
You can administer worm-preventing medicines. Also, schedule a check-up with the vet at least twice in a year. Keep your puppy free of fleas, clean up the poo promptly, and get a prescription for heartworm prevention medicine.
You should also wash your hands frequently and don’t let them lick you and your kids. Make your pup sleep in its own independent bed. This way, you and your kids will also remain free of infection.